Volume 1

Having played together on various projects over the last few years, it was maybe inevitable that harmonica whizz Will Pound and acoustic guitarist extraordinaire Jenn Butterworth would eventually get together to record a duet – and what a fun, invigorating and beautifully arranged recording it is too. It's a mix of original and traditional tunes, mainly Irish jigs and Scottish dance, that makes up the album, while Peggy Seeger's ‘There's Better Things to Do’ (here just titled ‘Better Things’) provides the sole song and is sweetly covered by Butterworth on vocals.

It's the tunes that really shine though, with some witty and inventive interpretations of ‘Speed the Plough’, ‘The Blackthorn Stick’, and ‘The Hesleyside Reel’, among others. Handel's sinfonia, ‘The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’, is also surprisingly thrown in for good measure. Pound even tackles the melodeon for the self-penned, and appropriately named, ‘The Workout Suite’. Penultimate track, the energetic ‘Beggarman’, is a particular highlight; blending the traditional tunes of ‘Soldier's Joy’ and ‘The Jolly Beggarman’ in a superbly toe-tapping frenzy. Titling the record Volume 1 suggests the duo have plans for more, and most welcome they will be too. Volume 1 is a delightfully exhilarating and thoroughly thrilling journey through some familiar, and new, tunes from two skillful musicians.